Industrial Agriculture

Kansas hosts some of the world’s largest concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), mainly cattle feedlots and hog factories, located primarily in the drought-prone areas of western Kansas. In the 1990s the Kansas Chapter worked with rural citizens who were fighting new CAFOs and succeeded in getting new regulations through the legislature. However, these are generally inadequate to protect our aquifers and do little to protect neighbors from dust & noxious odors. The rules did require CAFOs to report more data that helps us monitor their impacts on the environment. We continue to respond to requests for help from rural citizens consistent with the Chapter’s focus on improving air and water quality in the state and building mutual understanding with family farmers.

The intensive burning and overstocking of grasslands in the Flint Hills has caused serious air quality problems in eastern Kansas and downwind states such as Nebraska and Missouri. It is destroying valuable habitat for grassland birds. The Chapter is promoting a new patch burn technique that recent research indicates preserves wildlife habitat without significantly hurting ranching productivity.

Industrial agriculture is also significant source of greenhouse gases, so the Chapter recognizes the need for people to pursue a healthier diet containing less processed food and meat. Thus we support efforts to connect urban food consumers with family farmers who produce organically grown crops and humanely raised, free-range animal products. The Kansas City Food Circle (www.kcfoodcircle.org) and the Kansas Rural Center (www.KansasRuralCenter.org) are good resources in this regard.

Flint Hills Burning Proposed for Clean Air Act Exemption By Craig Volland The wholesale annual burning of rangeland in the Flint Hills is causing exceedances of the ozone smog air quality standard in the major urban areas of Kansas. This is becoming an even more serious problem becaus

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